The TV star, who found fame in the 1970s as part of comic trio The Goodies, died on Saturday (July 25), his agent announced.
He later became one of the country’s best‑known bird enthusiasts and fronted BBC programmes including Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch and Autumnwatch.
In the North East, he had a long‑standing relationship with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, where he served as a patron for almost thirty years, opening nature reserves and encouraging volunteers and young people to get outdoors and get involved.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said: “Bill was a fantastic inspiration to my generation of young conservationists from the 1970s onwards. To people young and old, he was a wildlife hero.
“He made being a naturalist fun and exciting and led me and many of my counterparts into campaigning and taking action to save wildlife, which was a major concern even then.
“He had been a Northumberland Wildlife Trust patron for almost thirty years, opening nature reserves and encouraging our volunteers and young people to get outdoors and get involved.
“His work on Springwatch made him even more influential, and his Naturewatch series in the early 2000s influenced the next generation of wildlife conservationists.
“I was lucky to spend time with Bill on the set of Springwatch on Brownsea Island in the early 2000s.
“He was a great birder and naturalist and entertaining both on and off screen. I recall his banter with a birdwatcher about a bird they were looking at: was it a normal redshank or a spotted version? Bill made it into a comedy sketch there and then.
“We will miss his support for what he genuinely cared about – life in all its forms.”